1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to musical tone signal generation apparatuses that are accommodated for multiple users playing music in an ensemble. Particularly, this invention relates to electronic musical instruments accommodated for multiple users to play music in an ensemble.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, engineers propose and develop various types of musical tone signal generation apparatuses that simulate generation of sounds of acoustic musical instruments. For example, the conventional musical tone signal generation apparatuses are designed to simulate sound generation mechanisms of keyboard instruments such as pianos, wind instruments such as flutes, stringed instruments such as guitars and percussion instruments such as drums.
In general, users are required to perform prescribed manual operations on the musical tone signal generation apparatuses to issue tone-generation instructions for generation of electronic musical tones simulating sounds of the acoustic musical instruments. For example, the users play keyboards, users blow mouthpieces with designation of pitches, users pick strings with designation of pitches, and users strike surfaces of drumheads or pads.
However, it is not always easy for general users to learn and accustom themselves to the aforementioned manual operations for issuance of the tone-generation instructions on the musical tone signal generation apparatuses. Particularly, inexperienced users such as children and aged persons have difficulties in learning the manual operations of the musical tone signal generation apparatuses.
Some of the conventional musical tone signal generation apparatuses are easy to be played by the inexperienced users with simple striking operations, for example. Actually, however, a relatively large number of musical tone signal generation apparatuses are not designed to suit to handicapped persons, preschool children whose physical strengths are underdeveloped and aged persons whose physical strengths are reduced due to diseases or disorders. Hence, it is not always easy for those persons to generate tone-generation instructions of musical tone signals on the musical tone signal generation apparatuses at appropriate timings in music play.